Iran – a country which is regularly dominating the headlines in western media, usually in a negative context. After a phase of tension release a couple of years ago, the conflicts between Iran and other nations have, once more, been increasing dramatically. Next to the political situation, Iran is the home to ancient cultures and, today, approximately 80 million inhabitants. Is there more to Iran than ongoing conflicts with other nations? Time for a retrospect on my trip to Iran back in 2016.
Going from Teheran’s airport to the city, the first thing a traveler will notice is the traffic. As many cities in the world, Iran’s capital is suffering from too many people who want or need to travel within the large city. But making one’s the way through the traffic is worth it as Iran and also Teheran are rich in history. For many years, Iran was dominated by royal dynasties, and Teheran’s splendid Golestan Palace is a witness of that time. Getting tired of history and classic architecture? Visiting Teheran’s bazaar is an experience of itself. As the country has not been very touristic, all bazaar markets you will come across are very original and well worth a visit. There is a major bazaar in every big city. For friends of nature, a visit to Northern Teheran is recommended. Located very close to the Alborz mountains, you can enjoy nice views and, in winter, go skiing.
Still, after a while you might get tired of Teheran’s busy streets and the perfect place to find some silent peace is Iran’s Kavir desert. Located south-west of Teheran, the small city of Khor is a perfect stop on the way to Yazd. Around Khor, you will find the charming small town of Mesr, stunning sand dunes and salt lakes. Continuing to the south, you will eventually arrive in Yazd, a much bigger city in the desert, and home to many interesting sights. A few of them: Remains of the ancient Zoroastrianism, as current knowledge suggests the first religion with just one God, which came into existence centuries before Christianity, Islam and Judaism. Make sure to visit the impressive fire temple (still in use!) and the towers of silence, where Zoroastrians used to bring their dead to get eaten by vultures, which was supposed to free their soul (not in use anymore). Next to that, Yazd is the home to breathtaking Persian architecture. The Jameh Mosque of Yazd, built in the 14th century, might be one of the best examples. The many wind windtowers, serving as natural air conditioners, are equally impressive. Back in the day, Persian engineers and architects belonged to the best in the world, building constructions like domes so big that similar plans were considered as physically impossible in other parts of the world. More examples of masterful engineering can be found in Yazd’s water museum which highlights the remarkable achievements of water tunnel constructions from the mountains, making it possible to live in the desert. Yazd’s bathhouse showcases that life was not only possible, but also pretty good. Last but not least, I loved Yazd for its rooftops. Make sure to drink a cup of tea somewhere high up while enjoying the scenic and unique city panorama.
The Middle East was the region where mankind, reportedly, had its first permanent settlements, so it is not surprising that it is also home to a few of the most ancient cultures. The earliest remains of the world-famous Persepolis date back to 515 years BC. Given the fact that Persepolis is older than 2.500 years, the remains are in a good condition. The scale and the level of detail will leave every visitor breathless. Not less astonishing: the nearby Naqsh-e Rustam. As Persepolis itself, the rock tombs from the Achaemenid and Sassanid periods impress with their pure size and their insane level of detail. The Persian kings buried here once ruled over one of the biggest kingdoms the world ever saw. The scale and the progressiveness of those kingdoms was centuries ahead of many other societies which came into existence much later.
The rich cultural heritage of Iran can also be discovered in the nearby city of Shiraz, located in the southern part of the country. The city honors two of Iran’s most popular poets, Sa’adi and Hafez, with large and beautiful mausoleums. Coming from Yazd, Shiraz is a relatively green city with stunning oases like the Eram Garden. Of course, great Persian architecture can be found in the city, too, and looking for it, you should start first and foremost with the large Vakil mosque, built between 1751 and 1773.
Teheran, Yazd, Persepolis – all are home to uncountable architectural and cultural world wonders. Thinking that it cannot get any more impressive, you will arrive in Isfahan. Standing in the middle of the city’s Naqsh-e Jahan square, you will in fact realize that this is not only one of the biggest squares in the world – it might very well be the most beautiful square in the world, too. People used to say that knowing the Naqsh-e Jahan square equals knowing half of the world and there is undoubtedly some truth to it. The square is home to Iran’s most beautiful mosque, the Shah Mosque, a staggering masterpiece of Persian architecture. The construction started in 1611 and it took 18 long years to complete the building. Right across: the Ālī Qāpū grand palace with its nice terrace views. On the other ends of the Naqsh-e Jahan square, you will find the Sheikh Lotfollah Mosque and the Imperial Bazaar. As if the square itself would not be enough on its own, Isfahan has more to offer: make sure to visit the beautiful Chehel Sotoun palace and the Si-o-seh pol bridge. The latter is crossing a dry riverbed during many months of the year – unfortunately, water supply and the inherent desertification are already a major challenge and the situation becomes increasingly difficult.
Isfahan is not too far from Teheran and hence quite often the first or, as in my case, the last stop of a journey through Iran. You surely noticed that the country has plenty of highlights from many different epochs to offer, quite a few of them extremely unique. But the biggest highlight of any trip to Iran? Iran’s people. Back in 2016, the nuclear deal between Iran and other states was still intact and there were many hopes that this would lead to a major release of tension in international affairs as well as an economic upswing in the region. Up until then, Iran was mostly visited, if at all, by elderly tourists. Travel guides in Iran joked that the country used to be visited by very old Europeans as they are not afraid of death and might die on the trip to this evil country anyway. Indeed, as young Europeans, we were treated like rock stars. Next to 1001 wonderful sights I saw, I could tell stories from 1001 wonderful people I met. In Teheran, we discovered a beautiful tea house which we wanted to return to on the next day. As we were not able to find the way, we asked other people on the street – they did not only give us hints where to go, they even walked us there. In Khor, we passed by a small bakery, whose employees invited us in, showing the baking process and giving us bread for free. On Iran’s stunning bazaar markets we met many young people, male and female, who attended excellent universities but worked in jobs far below their education as the economy was too weak to offer interesting positions and opportunities. Many dreamed of studying or working abroad, but only very few can as Iranians have a hard time getting work permits and visas for other countries. In Isfahan we were approached by school kids who wanted to know how we liked their country, giving more hints on what to see – in fluent English. All of those people had one thing in common: They were incredibly happy that there are people from other countries interested in their country and culture and they were curious about the world outside of Iran.
As written in the beginning, the tension between Iran and other countries has been dramatically increasing during the last months. Strong economic pressure destroyed many of those 1001 dreams and hopes I heard about. The situation is extremely complex and the purpose of this post is surely not to contribute to a political debate. Still, I want to close this post and my retrospect on Iran with a few open questions I personally do not have the answers to:
- In a country with approximately 80 million inhabitants, how many do care about having the power of nuclear weapons and gaining massive influence in the whole Middle East? And how many are primarily busy making a living which becomes increasingly difficult due to economic pressure?
- Will isolation and stigmatization lead to pressure on Iran’s administration or will it increase extremist positions?
- If Iran’s administration cannot really lose anything anymore, what prevents them from more aggressive provocations?
- If other countries will answer those provocations with military force, what will prevent a major war?
- Will a war lead to the decay of Iran? Will Iran then drift into a civil war as it is home to many different social groups (only approx. 60% of the inhabitants are Persian)?
- If there will be a war and/or civil war, what will it mean to refugee movements towards Europe and other regions? Compared to Syria, Iran’s population is five times bigger – ignoring other countries which might be pulled into (even more) chaos.
Some people seem to offer easy explanations and solutions to complex contexts. But maybe those people ignore the true complexity of the contexts or, even worse, have interests in escalation and do not (have to) care about the consequences.
Stay open-minded, stay curious, read newspapers, read books and explore the world.
@sebel_tours 